The region saw a drop of nearly 2,000 in the number of people in employment.
The midlands was one of the only regions in the country to see a drop in employment levels in the second quarter of this year.
The Labour Force Survey, published by the CSO, shows 154,000 people were employed in the region, down from 156,000 in the first quarter of 2023.
Nationally, employment rate is at its highest level since records began at 74.2% - over 2.6 million people were registered as having jobs.
The sector that saw the largest growth in employment in the year was in Public Administration and Defence, up 11.2%.
There was a decrease in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sector, down 6.3%.
CSO Statistician with the Labour Market Division, Sam Scriven, says the findings of their latest survey are significant:
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